Flashback Friday: 15 Years Ago – George Goes Ballistic vs. Illini – Ohio State Buckeyes
10/1/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Record-setting 314 yards helped tailback seal 1995 Heisman Trophy in 41-3 win
(Ath. Dept.) – It was a day no Ohio State fan will ever forget, and one that most Illinois fans would just as soon put out of their minds.
With a record-setting flanker Terry Glenn as last-minute scratch because of a shoulder injury that didn’t heal as quickly was hoped and the weather anything but conducive to throwing the ball, the Buckeyes decided to keep it on the ground. And run the ball, they did as senior tailback Eddie George obliterated the school single-game record by rushing for 314 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 36 carries.
When he left the game early in the fourth quarter, Keith Byars’ old standard of 274 yards, which ironically had also been against the Illini in 1984, was a part of history.
George had 128 yards in the first quarter alone and 180 in the half against a defense that had been allowing only 109 yards rushing.
When he ripped off a 64-yard run on OSU’s first play from scrimmage in the third period, the record was only a matter of time. And just for good measure, he also had four receptions for 32 yards, including his first career TD catch.
The OSU defense helped set the tone early by allowing the Illini just nine plays on their first three possessions – three-and-out, three-and-out, three-and-out. Illinois crossed the 50-yard line just twice all day.
